Josué 21

ARC · Chapter 21/24

1Então os Cabeças dos paes dos levitas se achegaram a Eleazar o sacerdote, e a Josué, filho de Nun, e aos Cabeças dos paes das tribus dos filhos d'Israel;

2E fallaram-lhes em Silo na terra de Canaan, dizendo: O Senhor ordenou, pelo ministerio de Moysés, que se nos déssem cidades para habitar, e os seus arrabaldes para os nossos animaes.

3Pelo que os filhos d'Israel deram aos levitas da sua herança, conforme ao dito do Senhor, estas cidades e os seus arrabaldes.

4E saiu a sorte pelas familias dos kohathitas: e aos filhos de Aarão, o sacerdote, d'entre os levitas, cairam por sorte da tribu de Judah, e da tribu de Simeão, e da tribu de Benjamin, treze cidades;

5E aos outros filhos de Kohath cairam por sorte das familias da tribu d'Ephraim, e da tribu de Dan, e da meia tribu de Manasseh, dez cidades;

6E aos filhos de Gerson cairam por sorte das familias da tribu d'Issacar, e da tribu d'Aser, e da tribu de Naphtali, e da meia tribu de Manasseh em Basan, treze cidades;

7Aos filhos de Merari, segundo as suas familias, da tribu de Ruben, e da tribu de Gad, e da tribu de Zebulon, doze cidades.

8E deram os filhos de Israel aos levitas estas cidades e os seus arrabaldes por sorte, como o Senhor ordenara pelo ministerio de Moysés.

9Deram mais da tribu dos filhos de Judah e da tribu dos filhos de Simeão estas cidades, que por nome foram nomeadas:

10Para que fossem dos filhos d'Aarão, das familias dos kohathitas, dos filhos de Levi: porquanto a primeira sorte foi sua.

11Assim lhes deram a cidade d'Arba, do pae d'Anok (esta é Hebron), no monte de Judah, e os seus arrabaldes em redor d'ella.

12Porém o campo da cidade, e as suas aldeias, deram a Caleb, filho de Jefoné, por sua possessão.

13Assim aos filhos d'Aarão, o sacerdote, deram a cidade do refugio do homicida, Hebron, e os seus arrabaldes, e Libna, e os seus arrabaldes;

14E Jatthir, e os seus arrabaldes, e Estmoa, e os seus arrabaldes;

15E Cholon, e os seus arrabaldes, e Debir, e os seus arrabaldes,

16E Ain, e os seus arrabaldes, e Jutta, e os seus arrabaldes, e Bethsemes, e os seus arrabaldes: nove cidades d'estas duas tribus.

17E da tribu de Benjamin, Gibeon, e os seus arrabaldes, Geba, e os seus arrabaldes;

18Anathoth, e os seus arrabaldes, e Almon, e os seus arrabaldes; quatro cidades.

19Todas as cidades dos sacerdotes, filhos d'Aarão, foram treze cidades e os seus arrabaldes.

20E as familias dos filhos de Kohath, levitas, que ficaram dos filhos de Kohath, tiveram as cidades da sua sorte da tribu d'Ephraim.

21E deram-lhes Sichem, cidade do refugio do homicida, e os seus arrabaldes, no monte de Ephraim, e Gezer, e os seus arrabaldes;

22E Kibsaim, e os seus arrabaldes, e Beth-horon, e os seus arrabaldes: quatro cidades.

23E da tribu de Dan, Elteke, e os seus arrabaldes, Gibbethon, e os seus arrabaldes;

24Ajalon, e os seus arrabaldes, Gath-rimmon, e os seus arrabaldes: quatro cidades.

25E da meia tribu de Manasseh, Taanach, e os seus arrabaldes, e Gath-rimmon, e os seus arrabaldes: duas cidades.

26Todas as cidades para as familias dos filhos de Kohath que ficavam, foram dez, e os seus arrabaldes.

27E aos filhos de Gerson, das familias dos levitas, Golan da meia tribu de Manasseh, cidade do refugio do homicida, em Basan, e os seus arrabaldes, e Be-estra, e os seus arrabaldes: duas cidades.

28E da tribu de Issacar, Kisjon, e os seus arrabaldes: Daberath, e os seus arrabaldes;

29Jarmuth, e os seus arrabaldes, En-*gannim, e os seus arrabaldes: quatro cidades.

30E da tribu d'Aser, Misal, e os seus arrabaldes, Abdon, e os seus arrabaldes;

31Helkath, e os seus arrabaldes, e Rohob, e os seus arrabaldes: quatro cidades.

32E da tribu de Naphtali, Kedes, cidade do refugio do homicida, em Galilea, e os seus arrabaldes, e Hamoth-*dor, e os seus arrabaldes; e Cartan, e os seus arrabaldes: tres cidades.

33Todas as cidades dos gersonitas, segundo as suas familias, foram treze cidades e os seus arrabaldes.

34E ás familias dos filhos de Merari, dos levitas que ficavam, foram dadas da tribu de Zebulon, Jokneam e os seus arrabaldes, Carta e os seus arrabaldes,

35Dimna e os seus arrabaldes, Nahalal e os seus arrabaldes: quatro cidades.

36E da tribu de Ruben, Beser, e os seus arrabaldes, e Jahaz, e os seus arrabaldes;

37Kedemoth, e os seus arrabaldes, e Mephaath, e os seus arrabaldes: quatro cidades.

38E da tribu de Gad, Ramoth, cidade do refugio do homicida, em Gilead, e os seus arrabaldes, e Mahanaim, e os seus arrabaldes;

39Hesbon, e os seus arrabaldes, Jaezer e os seus arrabaldes: por todas, quatro cidades.

40Todas estas cidades foram dos filhos de Merari, segundo as suas familias, que ainda restavam das familias dos levitas; e foi a sua sorte doze cidades.

41Todas as cidades dos levitas, no meio da herança dos filhos d'Israel, foram quarenta e oito cidades e os seus arrabaldes.

42Estavam estas cidades cada qual com os seus arrabaldes em redor d'ellas: assim estavam todas estas cidades.

43D'esta sorte deu o Senhor a Israel toda a terra que jurara dar a seus paes: e a possuiram e habitaram n'ella.

44E o Senhor lhes deu repouso em redor, conforme a tudo quanto jurara a seus paes; e nenhum de todos os seus inimigos ficou em pé diante d'elles; todos os seus inimigos o Senhor deu na sua mão.

45Palavra alguma falhou de todas as boas palavras que o Senhor fallara á casa d'Israel: tudo se cumpriu.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The Levites receive 48 cities scattered among the other tribes, including the cities of refuge. The chapter concludes that God fulfilled all his promises to Israel.

Explanation

Since the Levites did not receive one continuous territory, they were scattered in cities within the territory of the other tribes - this ensured that priestly teaching of the law was physically present and accessible throughout the nation, not concentrated in one place. The chapter's closing statement, 'not one of all the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass' (v. 45), is one of the strongest declarations in the whole Bible about God's faithfulness to his promises, serving as the concluding milestone of the entire conquest narrative that began all the way back with Abraham.

Fun facts

  • The 48 Levitical cities included surrounding pasturelands for livestock, a model of provision that combined religious function with practical need for subsistence.
  • This arrangement scattering the Levites fulfilled, in a positive and organized way, Jacob's prophecy in Genesis 49:7 that the tribe of Levi would be 'scattered' in Israel.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Josué 21:1The heads of the Levite families come before Eleazar, Joshua, and the tribal chiefs to claim what is owed to them.
  2. Josué 21:2They point out that God had already ordered, through Moses, that the Levites receive cities to live in, since they would have no territory of their own like the other tribes.
  3. Josué 21:3Since the Levites don't receive a continuous territory, the solution is to scatter forty-eight cities for them across the land of the other tribes, each with pastureland around it for their livestock. This way they are present throughout the whole territory of Israel, without forming a province of their own.
  4. Josué 21:4The drawing of lots begins with the Kohathites, one of the Levite families: the descendants of Aaron receive thirteen cities taken from Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
  5. Josué 21:5The rest of the Kohathites receive ten cities from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and half of Manasseh.
  6. Josué 21:6The Gershonites, another Levite family, receive thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and half of Manasseh in Bashan.
  7. Josué 21:7The Merarites, the third Levite family, receive twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
  8. Josué 21:8In total, the people hand over these cities to the Levites exactly as God had commanded through Moses.
  9. Josué 21:9Here begins the named list of cities taken from Judah and Simeon for the Levites.
  10. Josué 21:10These specific cities go to the descendants of Aaron, within the Kohathite family, who received the first share in the drawing.
  11. Josué 21:11Among them is Hebron, the same city already given to Caleb — except now it also becomes a Levite city, with an internal division between the two uses.
  12. Josué 21:12The fields and villages around Hebron remain Caleb's personal property; only the city itself is shared with the Levites.
  13. Josué 21:13Hebron, already known as a city of refuge, is confirmed to the descendants of Aaron, along with Libnah.
  14. Josué 21:14Two more cities, Jattir and Eshtemoa, complete this part of the list.
  15. Josué 21:15Holon and Debir also join the list of cities handed over to the priests.
  16. Josué 21:16Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh close out this group, totaling nine cities between the two tribes.
  17. Josué 21:17Gibeon is the city that tricked Joshua into thinking it came from far away, back in chapter 9 — now its lands go to support the priestly descendants of Aaron.
  18. Josué 21:18Anathoth and Almon complete four more cities coming from Benjamin.
  19. Josué 21:19In total, the priestly descendants of Aaron receive thirteen cities.
  20. Josué 21:20The rest of the Kohathites, who were not priests directly, receive their cities from the tribe of Ephraim.
  21. Josué 21:21Among them is Shechem, another city of refuge, along with Gezer.
  22. Josué 21:22Kibzaim and Beth-horon complete this group of four cities from Ephraim.
  23. Josué 21:23Eltekeh and Gibbethon, which had belonged to the tribe of Dan, now pass to the Kohathite Levites who were not direct descendants of Aaron.
  24. Josué 21:24Aijalon and Gath-rimmon close out four more cities coming from Dan.
  25. Josué 21:25From the half tribe of Manasseh, they receive Tanach and Gath-rimmon, two more cities.
  26. Josué 21:26This group of Kohathites — those not descended from Aaron — receives ten cities in total, taken from the territories of Ephraim, Dan, and the half tribe of Manasseh.
  27. Josué 21:27The Gershonites receive from Manasseh the city of Golan, also a city of refuge, and Beeshterah.
  28. Josué 21:28From the tribe of Issachar, the Gershonites receive Kishon and Dabareh.
  29. Josué 21:29Jarmuth and En-gannim close out the four cities Issachar hands over to the Levites: since the Levites received no territory of their own, each tribe set aside cities for them.
  30. Josué 21:30Mishal and Abdon, taken from Asher's territory, go to the Gershonites — the Levite clan descended from Gershon, Levi's oldest son.
  31. Josué 21:31With these two, four cities that the tribe of Asher hands over to the Gershonite Levites are closed out, part of the thirteen this clan receives in total.
  32. Josué 21:32From the tribe of Naphtali, they receive Kedesh, another city of refuge, along with Hammoth-dor and Kartan.
  33. Josué 21:33In total, the Gershonites receive thirteen cities, taken from the territories of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
  34. Josué 21:34The Merarites, the last Levite family, receive from Zebulun the cities of Jokneam and Kartah.
  35. Josué 21:35Dimnah and Nahalal, taken from Zebulun's territory, complete the cities the Merarite Levites also receive from Reuben and Gad.
  36. Josué 21:36Bezer, taken from Reuben's territory, is one of Israel's six cities of refuge — a shelter for anyone who killed someone without intent.
  37. Josué 21:37With these two, four cities that the tribe of Reuben hands over to the Merarite Levites are closed out, part of the twelve this clan receives in total.
  38. Josué 21:38From the tribe of Gad, they receive Ramoth, another city of refuge, and Mahanaim.
  39. Josué 21:39Heshbon and Jazer complete the four cities Gad hands over to the Merarites — the same Heshbon that had been the capital of the Amorite king Sihon, defeated back in the time of Moses.
  40. Josué 21:40In total, the Merarite Levites receive twelve cities, taken from the territories of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun, east and west of the Jordan.
  41. Josué 21:41The final number of forty-eight Levite cities, taken from various tribes, shows that supporting the priests and worship assistants was a responsibility shared by the whole people, not just one region.
  42. Josué 21:42Each of these forty-eight cities always comes with pastureland around it, following the same pattern throughout.
  43. Josué 21:43The chapter closes by declaring that not one promise made to the ancestors failed to come true. After twenty-one chapters of wars, lists, and lot-drawing, this sentence sums up the whole book's central argument: the promised land had become occupied land.
  44. Josué 21:44After the whole division of the land, God gives Israel rest from the enemies around them, fulfilling the ancient promise.
  45. Josué 21:45The chapter ends with a strong statement: not one of God's good promises to Israel failed to come true.

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